The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Schizachyrium scoparium hereinafter referred to by the varietal domination ‘Good Vibrations’.
The new Schizachyrium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Griffin, Ga. The objective of the Schizachyrium breeding program is to produce a tough and adaptable drought-tolerant plant with commercial value. This cultivar has significant commercial and home gardener appeal with its attractive foliage and low maintenance requirements. These and other qualities are enumerated herein.
Pedigree and history: In 2006, thirty-seven accessions (number of plants per accession ranged from one to 51 depending upon the germination of individual accessions) of Schizachyrium scoparium were germinated and transplanted into field plots in Griffin, Ga. After a two-year evaluation period, seeds from open pollination within accessions were collected and sown in 2008, yielding 368 seedlings. The 368 seedlings were evaluated in containers in a screenhouse in Griffin, Ga. A seedling from plant B19, was selected for further evaluation and labeled ‘B19-23’. Seeds from open pollination were collected from ‘B19-23’ and were sown in spring 2009. The resulting seedlings were evaluated in containers in the screenhouse for two seasons. The new variety ‘B19-23-78’, now called ‘Good Vibrations’, was selected and was first asexually propagated in 2010 in Griffin, Ga. by root division, and planted into a field plot. The new variety ‘Good Vibrations’ has been tested since 2011 in Griffin and Blairsville, Ga.